Tuesday, September 23, 2014

CASSETTE REVIEW: Pelican Ossman “As You Are, So Shall I Be”


            The sound of Pelican Ossman comes somewhere between folk and twee but the list of comparisons that come out in here is quite vast and extends even beyond those seemingly tight borders.   There are occasional female vocals either singing along or as background parts but for the most part this comes out with a rather distinctive male vocal sound that reminds me of Manhattan Murder Mystery. 

            While the music begins acoustic it still reminds me of the non-acoustic melodies of a band like Pinback or even The Dismemberment Plan.   They Might Be Giants surfaces somehow and though the male and female vocals trading off should go elsewhere (The Forecast or more obvious choice of Of Monsters and Men) it brings me back to Moldy Peaches.

            Hints of a drum machine make me think there are pop rock parts to this, but glimpses of an accordion make me think otherwise.  There are clear portions of folk punk ala Sledding With Tigers, yet it can also just as much sound like Cake who is on a different level than pretty much anything in the wide folk spectrum that has been previously discussed.

            Before the final song, we get this operatic sort of Queen vibe and that takes us into the final song which is a ballad that slows down and is kind of like Akron/Family.    Overall though this is just one of those cassettes that can change from song to song, yet stay closely knit enough that you know it’s still the same artist and not a compilation.    Furthermore, it is one of the finest pieces of music I have heard all year and it begs to challenge what that alleged college radio scene is up to these days.  









No comments:

Post a Comment